Tattooing: The Sequel-Not Loved Enough as Children...

[Xray the Enforcer]

Didn't you used to be bigger than 6? Did you heal back down?

nope. 6ga was the largest I stretched, the first time around. then I healed back down to an 18ga. Then years later, started stretching them again. I've been at an 8ga for four or so years.

[Xray the Enforcer]

So, stretched the ears to 6ga. That wasn't especially fun, but it's done now.

Sat for an absurd number of hours in the chair today to finish my latest tattoo. I was very glad to see outside again, after that.

[Yagathai]

I went up another fraction of a gauge Sunday myself. It was problematic more than I'd have liked, but I'm still on target to hit 0 by October.

[Tyria]

I went from 6 to 4 after this morning's shower. Seems ok so far. Little tender, but not too bad. I was worried that I might be stretching them too fast (I was re-pierced at 12 at the end of May, went to 10 a few weeks later, skipped down to 6 ten days ago, now I'm at 4), but I was told as long as I was stretching and not ripping (gah) I should be ok. I guess I just have stretchy lobes.

We went to pick up new plugs last night, and I think I'll stay at 4. The 2 looks a little too big for me.

Both of us are still procrastinating on the our b-day gift tattoos to each other from last year. Our next b-days will come around before we get to it!

[all swedes are racist]

So, it occurs to me today that I really need a new tattoo before MDF next year. More specifically, I'd like to cover up another tattoo. Now it's been a long fucking time, so I figure I'll toss out some ideas, and ask here for any practical or creative feedback. The peice to be covered up is small, but moderately dark and colored, so I think I'll need setting relatively solid and dark to mask the old one.

Is my starting point for the new peice, but I feel like it needs something more, an element coming from the "neck" to kind of weigh it down, or ground it (if that makes sense). This will be starting near the wrist , facing up to the elbow, breathing some kind of evil looking black flames or dark smoke as the covering element (though I'm going to have to sketch it out to see if it just ends up too cheesy looking, I am open to suggestions)

[Kelli Fury]

You can't cover anything with dark smoke. An internet thread is a terrible place for coverup advice. Go to the artist you want to do it with your subject matter and be open to major changes to make it work as a coverup. Coverup needs to be larger and darker than the existing work.

[MercenaryChef]

i have not stretched my lobes since say 2000 or so. but, i think i want to go a touch larger. i am at 7/16 now.

[all swedes are racist]

You can't cover anything with dark smoke. An internet thread is a terrible place for coverup advice. Go to the artist you want to do it with your subject matter and be open to major changes to make it work as a coverup. Coverup needs to be larger and darker than the existing work.

Yeah, I was afraid you'd say that. (And I don't mean that in a prickish kind of way, more like fuck me for getting this stupid thing in the first place... Live and learn)

Of course I'm going to hash out the idea with the actual artist, it won't be for some months yet, so I'm just getting an preliminary idea out, to let it gestate in my mind, considering as lack of foresight was my original problem.

But thank you, those are the kind of stupid ideas I want to be disabused of as early as possible.

[Xray the Enforcer]

Yeah, coverups can be a bitch. I like the base idea, though. I am sure your artist can find a good compromise.

My latest tattoo looks gorgeous. I'll get Mr. X to take a photo -- the details on the poppies are amazing.

[Eponine]

https://flic.kr/p/oYoEPW

I just got this done - it's the four of cups tarot card from Blood Meridian (narrowly beat out Tree of Dead Babies). The card described in the book (set around 1850) would have been stylized more like this: http://www.christies.com/lotfinderimages/d47402/d4740212x.jpg but I went with personal aesthetics over historical authenticity.

"He took one. He'd not seen such cards before, yet the one he held seemed familiar to him. He turned it upside down and regarded it and he turned it back. The juggler took the boy's hand in his own and turned the card so he could see. Then he took the card and held it up. Cuatro de copas, he called out."

[Xray the Enforcer]

Nice. That's an interesting interpretation of the four of cups. Very close to RWS (clouds with hands, specifically), but using slightly different symbolism.

[ljkeane]

One of the women in my office recently got a tattoo of the White Tree from the Lord of the Rings. Which is pretty awesome for two reasons, firstly it's just cool and secondly despite having approaching 6 thousand posts on a fantasy message board I'm no longer the geekiest person in my office. :P

[Xray the Enforcer]

I have that title sewn up by a long, long mile. And proud of it!

[Lany Freelove Cassandra]

https://flic.kr/p/oYoEPW

I just got this done - it's the four of cups tarot card from Blood Meridian (narrowly beat out Tree of Dead Babies). The card described in the book (set around 1850) would have been stylized more like this: http://www.christies.com/lotfinderimages/d47402/d4740212x.jpg but I went with personal aesthetics over historical authenticity.

"He took one. He'd not seen such cards before, yet the one he held seemed familiar to him. He turned it upside down and regarded it and he turned it back. The juggler took the boy's hand in his own and turned the card so he could see. Then he took the card and held it up. Cuatro de copas, he called out."

That is very cool!

[peterbound]

I have that title sewn up by a long, long mile. And proud of it!

pfft, try working with a bunch of alpha, type-a's. If word got out I was this geeky i'd get my ass kicked on a daily basis.

[Xray the Enforcer]

You'd be surprised how much verbal shit I catch at work (especially given my job), but it doesn't actually bother me because the ones throwing shade are some of the squarest, most pedestrian motherfuckers on the planet. It's an honor and a joy to be misunderstood by the likes of that.

But, let's face it: as polish says, just being here almost certainly qualifies each one of us to be biggest geek in our respective workplaces*.

*not applicable for those who work for game companies, comic book shops, etc.

[Isis]

One of the women in my office recently got a tattoo of the White Tree from the Lord of the Rings. Which is pretty awesome for two reasons, firstly it's just cool and secondly despite having approaching 6 thousand posts on a fantasy message board I'm no longer the geekiest person in my office. :P

I have one too. But it's in a non-visible location so hardly anyone has ever seen it.

[KiDisaster]

Question for those of you much more experienced with tattoos than myself, or those who work in the business even. What's the procedure/etiquette on asking an artist to help you design a piece?

My first tattoo was a very simple, already-made design that I just walked into the shop with but I want my next one to be more unique if possible. Unfortunately, I can't draw worth a damn and don't really know anyone who can so designing it myself is out of the question. I have a pretty good idea of the kind of thing I want, and a couple pictures I've found online that are in sort of the same style, and I'd love to let someone who can draw just take those and a bit of input from me and use their style to make it something really unique and cool.

Obviously I don't expect anyone to work for free. Do artists do this kind of work for a fee, or am I better off finding someone on DeviantArt to commission or something like that and then going to my local shop with a final design?

[deleted01]

I usually go in with an idea and some pictures of the kind of thing I'd like, and my tattoo artist turns it into a work of art. The place I go to is all custom work, so if you say you want them to design something, you can't take it away and get it done elsewhere - which I imagine would be the procedure for most places? Anyway, I'd put a deposit down, she would draw something up, I'd go to see it, and we'd discuss any changes if necessary.

The first piece I had done there was originally drawn up by a friend, and the tattoo artist just worked on it to make it better. So either way is probably fine, but others may know better than I.

[lovelikeangels]

At the moment, I only have one tattoo (I suppose technically 2, since it's split) because I'm still under my parental household so I can't get any of the visible ones I want. The current is placed under my boobs and it's a Billy Talent lyric that reads "put my trust in god that day" then "not the man that taught his way". Picture. TBH, I don't like the way the second verse turned out, but it's not something I have to look at constantly so I don't usually think about it.

I thought about this tat for a good 5 years or so before I got it last summer. Then I felt extreme guilt the following week that had 99% to do with hiding it from my parents, and sought council from various outlets including church (irony!) and quite interestingly was told through all these various outlets the same thing: you've done nothing wrong, it's okay. My favorite thing out of this came when I was feeling excessively one day guilty and listening to traditional Romanian music and a song came on that had the lyrics (translated) "Sins are of the earth" and I remember thinking holy shit. That is perfect.

I've had that taped up on my desk since and I've been seriously brooding on getting it tattooed, in Romanian, along the top of my shoulder leading from the shoulder edge to my neck.

I also plan on getting a phoenix and a peacock that I designed several years ago, on my back facing each other. I've given permission for a few people to get the phoenix tattooed and they have, which is really awesome and I feel super honored. These are probably going to be the most difficult for me to commit to simply because I need to find a tattoo artist who will do them exactly as I have designed them. All of the people who've gotten the phoenix have had the tattoo interpreted rather than copied, and I've had nightmares where this has happened to me and makes for awful sleep.

Additionally, I want the Dark Mark tattooed on my forearm, but I am still undecided about whether I want it in black ink, white ink, or UV ink.

I also want the Deathly Hallows symbol, thinking slightly above the birds and a bit below the base of my neck, but I want it to be the chapter picture from the book.

Lastly, one of my other life philosophies comes from my favorite Romanian poet, Mihai Eminescu, and I'm planning on getting this tattoo, in Romanian, in a circle, around the joint of my shoulder opposite the sins tattoo. It'll read (translated) "For all are born to die And die to be reborn" It's from his epic poem Evening Star.

Frankly, I'm still surprised I had the guts to endure a tattoo at all. I never thought I'd actually go through with it. As it turns out, I can withstand a lot of varying pain quite well.

ETA: Also been thinking of getting these lines from Dylan Thomas

"Do not go gentle into that good night

Rage, rage against the dying of the light"

Gotta brood on it some more though, but I absolutely love that poem and its meaning and it would be a great set for the sides of my forearms. That was the placement I originally wanted for the Billy Talent tattoo.